Policemen arrested Young Front activist Siarzhuk Marchik in his flat and taken to police station. There they compiled protocol against him for participation in street action on Day of solidarity on December 16. Police officers said that they learned of his participation in the action from publication in local newspaper. Now Marchik is waiting for subpoena to court.
Kazakh youth movement “Kahar” supported Day of solidarity with Belarus. “Kahar” calls to light candles on January 16 as a sign of solidarity with Belarus.
Only 2.6 percent of the members of the territorial election commissions that have been formed in Belarus for the 2006 presidential election represent political parties. A total of 165 territorial election commissions have been formed, totaling 2,124 members, about 13 persons per commission, the maximum allowed amount, Nikolai Lozovik, secretary of the central election commission, told BelaPAN.
Authorities in Zhodino, Minsk region, have annulled the registration of the city organization of the Francisak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society (BLS).
Sergei Kalyakin, chief of the campaign headquarters of united opposition forces` presidential contender, Aleksandr Milinkevich, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the first days of the collection of ballot-access signatures.
Pro-democratic opposition forces have a chance of overcoming the current situation in Belarus and carrying the forthcoming presidential election, Anatoly Lebedko, chairman of the United Civic Party (UCP), told BelaPAN.
The European Union (EU) Council on General Affairs and External Relations, during its meeting in Brussels on January 30 and 31, will discuss the situation in Belarus in the run-up to the March presidential election, according to a program released by the EU Presidency, Austria.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned that the Belarusian prosecutor`s office has suspended an investigation of the murder of journalist Veronika Cherkasova. Local and international press reports said the authorities shelved the case on December 28 for lack of suspects. The authorities did not examine whether Cherkasova was stabbed to death in October 2004 because of her writing.
An activist of Belarus` opposition youth movement predicted that the government`s policies might prompt social unrest in the country this year. "The recent repressive amendments to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes, the possible tightening of control over the Internet, the wipeout of the independent Belarusian media, the persecution of active people lead to tensions ahead of the presidential election," Boris Goretsky said in an interview with BelaPAN.
Most Russians celebrate the new year with a few firecrackers, a glass of sweet champagne, perhaps vodka and pickled herring to keep the party going. This year the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, celebrated by switching off the flow of natural gas to Ukraine. As the inhabitants of Moscow and Kiev were waking up Sunday morning, nursing their hangovers, Russian state television was broadcasting live from a compressor station near Kursk. The pipeline branch boss was shown barking into a telephone: "Yes. Yes. And through the big pipes -- nothing. Fine. That`s clear. Let the operators work on it." As the cameras rolled, workers turned the big metal wheels, scrutinized computer terminals and watched the gauges drop.
Aleksandr Yaroshuk, leader of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU), warned that the independent labor union movement is likely to face more hardships and stronger pressure from the authorities in 2006.
Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov is expected to visit China and Vietnam this year, said Mikhail Katsov, chief of the Belarusian interior ministry`s Department for International Cooperation.
Moscow unilaterally demanded an almost fivefold price increase for its natural gas sold to Ukraine. As the "negotiations" proceeded, the Kremlin bought up future gas supplies from Turkmenistan, trying to limit Kiev`s access to alternative energy supplies. When Ukraine refused to cave to its demands, Russia simply shut off supplies on January 1, apparently including existing, and contracted, delivery of Turkmen gas to Ukraine that runs in a pipeline through Russian territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday announced that it has decided to close the nation`s representative office in Belarus, citing the former communist country`s opposition to Taiwan`s bids to participate in international bodies such as the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO).
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